"The General Excellence Award is given to one paper in each of the six
circulations divisions based on a points system. Winners in this
category should exemplify excellence in all aspects of newspaper
publication, including mechanical excellence, editorial content and
appearance.

Kokomo Tribune wins 16 awards in contest

The results were announced Saturday in Indianapolis

From Staff Reports

INDIANAPOLIS - The Kokomo Tribune
brought home 16 awards at this year’s Hoosier State Press Association
Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.
The results were announced at
the 50th annual awards luncheon Saturday at the Indianapolis Marriott
North. Work submitted to the contest was published between July 1, 2015
and June 30, 2016.The Tribune received a third place nod for General Excellence.“The
General Excellence Award is given to one paper in each of the six
circulation divisions based on a point system,” wrote the judges.
“Winners in this category should exemplify excellence in all aspects of
newspaper publication, including mechanical excellence, editorial
content and appearance.”
Tribune staff won second place in the Best Ongoing News Coverage category for their entry, “Koontz shooting.”
“It
was tough to pick a second place winner, but the videography by Cara
Ball gave this entry an edge,” wrote the judges. “Beautiful portrayal of
Deputy Carl Koontz. Even readers who had never met the deputy would get
an idea of the kind of person he was. Strong writing and emotionally
arresting.”
Several individual Tribune staffers were also honored for their work.
Lauren Slagter won first place in the Best News Coverage with No Deadline for her entry, “Teacher shortage.”
“This
entry took an issue that doesn’t have a clear-cut answer, as both sides
point out their reasons, and shows the readers why when it comes to
education (which affects everyone) there will always be debate,” wrote
the judges.
In the same category, George Myers and Mike Fletcher won second place for their entry, “Jail shortage.”
“Great
look at an issue and showing the readers the difficulties law
enforcement and government face when it comes to jails,” wrote the
judges.
Lauren Slagter and Myers won first place in the Best Ongoing News Coverage category for their entry, “Dispatch Center.”
“The writing is compelling and nearly flawless,” wrote the judges.
This entry was also a finalist for Story of the Year.
“This
is an excellent job of taking a breaking news story and shining the
light on a crucial issue in your community,” wrote the judges. “I felt
both sides of the story [were] told well, and I especially liked the
story where the reporter embedded herself with dispatchers. This type of
story defines what community journalism should be all about.”
Martin Slagter won third place in the Best Business/Economic News Coverage category for his entry, “Weber Speakers.”
“Good reporting, photography and layout of this A1 story,” wrote the judges. “Nice use of subheads to make it easy to read.”
Martin Slagter also won first place in the Best Profile Feature category for his entry, “Girl Scout leader.”
“Excellent storytelling,” wrote the judges. “Entertaining and still gets to the point. Made me want to meet this person.”
Tim
Bath won both first and third places in the Best Spot News Photo
category for his photos “House fire” and “Night fire,” respectively.
“Such a haunting, spectacular photo,” wrote the judges of the winning entry.
Kelly
Lafferty Gerber took home third place and Bath first place in the Best
General News Photo category for their photos, “Cops 4 Kidz” and “Propane
training,” respectively.
“What a striking image! Difficult to
shoot well, beautiful and technically difficult,” wrote the judges of
the winning entry. “Great shot.”
Lafferty Gerber won second place in the Best Sports Feature Photo category for her photo, “Little League joy.”
“Perfect moment accentuated by the shallow focus,” wrote the judges. “Just a great shot.”
Lafferty Gerber won third place in the Best Sports Action Photo category for her photo, “Basketball twist.”
Rodney Ogle won second place in the Best Use of Graphics category.
“Great way to think outside the box,” wrote the judges.
Lauren
Slagter and Martin Slagter won first place in the Best Community
Service category for their entry, “Concentrated poverty.”
The Kokomo Tribune competes in Division 5, which covers daily newspapers with circulations between 14,000 and 34,999.
The
HSPA, founded in 1933, is a trade association representing 167 daily
and weekly paid-circulation newspapers in Indiana, according to its
website. HSPA provides legal information, training and other services to
its members.

My contribution to this entry was my March 21, 2016 story, "Remembering Deputy Carl Koontz."
Here are the judges notes:
"It was tough to pick a second place winner, but the videography by Cara Ball gave this entry an edge. Beautiful portrayal of Deputy Carl Koontz. Even readers who had never met the deputy would get an idea of the kind of person he was. Strong writing and emotionally arresting."
This was one of 16 awards the Kokomo Tribune won that day. Here is the full story about it:

Kokomo Tribune wins 16 awards in contest

The results were announced Saturday in Indianapolis

From Staff Reports

INDIANAPOLIS - The Kokomo Tribune
brought home 16 awards at this year’s Hoosier State Press Association
Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.
The results were announced at
the 50th annual awards luncheon Saturday at the Indianapolis Marriott
North. Work submitted to the contest was published between July 1, 2015
and June 30, 2016.
The Tribune received a third place nod for General Excellence.
“The
General Excellence Award is given to one paper in each of the six
circulation divisions based on a point system,” wrote the judges.
“Winners in this category should exemplify excellence in all aspects of
newspaper publication, including mechanical excellence, editorial
content and appearance.”Tribune staff won second place in the Best Ongoing News Coverage category for their entry, “Koontz shooting.”
“It
was tough to pick a second place winner, but the videography by Cara
Ball gave this entry an edge,” wrote the judges. “Beautiful portrayal of
Deputy Carl Koontz. Even readers who had never met the deputy would get
an idea of the kind of person he was. Strong writing and emotionally
arresting.”
Several individual Tribune staffers were also honored for their work.
Lauren Slagter won first place in the Best News Coverage with No Deadline for her entry, “Teacher shortage.”
“This
entry took an issue that doesn’t have a clear-cut answer, as both sides
point out their reasons, and shows the readers why when it comes to
education (which affects everyone) there will always be debate,” wrote
the judges.
In the same category, George Myers and Mike Fletcher won second place for their entry, “Jail shortage.”
“Great
look at an issue and showing the readers the difficulties law
enforcement and government face when it comes to jails,” wrote the
judges.
Lauren Slagter and Myers won first place in the Best Ongoing News Coverage category for their entry, “Dispatch Center.”
“The writing is compelling and nearly flawless,” wrote the judges.
This entry was also a finalist for Story of the Year.
“This
is an excellent job of taking a breaking news story and shining the
light on a crucial issue in your community,” wrote the judges. “I felt
both sides of the story [were] told well, and I especially liked the
story where the reporter embedded herself with dispatchers. This type of
story defines what community journalism should be all about.”
Martin Slagter won third place in the Best Business/Economic News Coverage category for his entry, “Weber Speakers.”
“Good reporting, photography and layout of this A1 story,” wrote the judges. “Nice use of subheads to make it easy to read.”
Martin Slagter also won first place in the Best Profile Feature category for his entry, “Girl Scout leader.”
“Excellent storytelling,” wrote the judges. “Entertaining and still gets to the point. Made me want to meet this person.”
Tim
Bath won both first and third places in the Best Spot News Photo
category for his photos “House fire” and “Night fire,” respectively.
“Such a haunting, spectacular photo,” wrote the judges of the winning entry.
Kelly
Lafferty Gerber took home third place and Bath first place in the Best
General News Photo category for their photos, “Cops 4 Kidz” and “Propane
training,” respectively.
“What a striking image! Difficult to
shoot well, beautiful and technically difficult,” wrote the judges of
the winning entry. “Great shot.”
Lafferty Gerber won second place in the Best Sports Feature Photo category for her photo, “Little League joy.”
“Perfect moment accentuated by the shallow focus,” wrote the judges. “Just a great shot.”
Lafferty Gerber won third place in the Best Sports Action Photo category for her photo, “Basketball twist.”
Rodney Ogle won second place in the Best Use of Graphics category.
“Great way to think outside the box,” wrote the judges.
Lauren
Slagter and Martin Slagter won first place in the Best Community
Service category for their entry, “Concentrated poverty.”
The Kokomo Tribune competes in Division 5, which covers daily newspapers with circulations between 14,000 and 34,999.
The
HSPA, founded in 1933, is a trade association representing 167 daily
and weekly paid-circulation newspapers in Indiana, according to its
website. HSPA provides legal information, training and other services to
its members.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

From 3:20 to 3:34 p.m. Aug. 24, 2016, an F-3 tornado with a top speed of 152 mph and a maximum width of 300 yards tore a 8.78-mile path through Kokomo and Howard County, Indiana. (Source: https://www.weather.gov/ind/august242016severe) That day, the Kokomo Tribune 's
staff had to relocate to Logansport for the day to the Pharos-Tribune
offices to complete the paper.

Kokomo convenient store running off generator -- and nothing will stop the production of the newspaper. pic.twitter.com/ZATooYruTy

Here is a cellphone video from that day of the Markland Mall Starbucks
being destroyed: (Everyone inside was in the bathroom and survived.)

___

On May 5, 2017, the Indiana Associated Press Media
Editors held their spring meeting at the Rathskeller in Indianapolis.

The event
also featured their 2017 IAPME Journalism Contest awards ceremony.

Kokomo Tribune won a staff award for Third Place for Best Spot News Coverage.

Kokomo Tribune competed in Division 2, which covers newspapers
with daily circulations of 20,000 to 49,999.

The Kokomo Tribune was honored for the entry "Tornadoes Tear through Area." Here are the judges' notes:

"Tornadoes can't be planned for, nor can the damage that ensues. Great
job with a ton of coverage for the next day. Nice going."
Here is the Kokomo Tribune's story on the awards ceremony:

Tribune wins eight awards at contest

Indiana APME newspaper contest winners announced Friday

From Staff Reports

INDIANAPOLIS — The Kokomo Tribune won eight awards Friday at the Indiana Associated Press Media Editors newspaper contest.
The awards were announced at the annual APME awards banquet Friday in Indianapolis.
Forty
newspapers submitted 697 entries in the contest, which featured news,
feature, public affairs, investigative, sports and other reporting, as
well as photography, video, and digital media. Newspapers entered work
published in print or online in 2016, and the contest was judged by AP
member editors in various states.
Kokomo Tribune staff were awarded third place in the Best Spot News Coverage category for "Tornadoes Tear through Area."
“Tornados
can't be planned for, nor can the damage that ensues,” wrote the
judges. “Great job with a ton of coverage for the next day. Nice going.”
Carson Gerber won second place in the Best Feature Writing category for “The Hammer Man.”
“An
interesting story,” wrote the judges. “Every town has a ‘Hammer Man’
and the way you tell this particular tale of a collector of oddities is
great.”
Lauren Slagter won third place in the Best Enterprise Reporting category for “New Era in Education.”
“Great job of giving your readers an informative look at the current state of education,” wrote the judges.
Cara Ball won first place in the Best Video category for “Cameron’s Story.”
“Revealing and intimate, with an eye for detail on a sensitive story,” wrote the judges.
Photographers Kelly Lafferty Gerber and Tim Bath won two awards each.
In the Best Spot News Photo category, Bath took home first place for “House Fire.”
“Fire
photos are ubiquitous and often more smoke than fire,” wrote the
judges. “Congratulations on capturing the flames in this one – and the
firefighters in action.”
Bath also won second place in the same category for “Honoring Officer Koontz.”
“In
a year of tragedies against law enforcement, this photo paints the
picture of how difficult the job can be,” wrote the judges. “Great job
by the photographer capturing a tasteful, respectful image. Your editor
should be proud.”
Lafferty Gerber won second place in the Best Sports Photo category for “Victory and Defeat.”
“Emotion is everything: this is a great shot with both sides of the outcome expertly captured,” wrote the judges.
Lafferty Gerber also won third place in the Best Photo Story category for “August 2016 Tornado.”
“Destruction
photos are sure to interest readers, but it's the emotion in the faces
captured here that tells the story,” wrote the judges.
The entries were divided into three divisions. The Kokomo Tribune competed in Division II.
The
Associated Press is a not-for-profit news cooperative representing
1,400 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast stations in the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Tribune wins 14 statewide newspaper awards

From staff reports

INDIANAPOLIS — The Kokomo Tribune won
14 awards, six of them first place, at the 51st annual Hoosier State
Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest Awards Luncheon
Saturday.

Tribune photographer Kelly Lafferty
Gerber won five of those.

Lafferty Gerber's story "Hayes the
Brave" won first-place for Best Sports News or Feature Coverage
in the contest's Division 5, for daily newspapers with circulation of
between 14,000 and 34,999.

Judges called it a "strong story
about a strong child, told without being maudlin."

Lafferty Gerber also won four
first-place awards, three seconds and three thirds in the photography
categories.

She swept first, second and third in the
Best Sports Feature Photo category, and took first and second in the
Best Multiple Picture Group category.

Her first-place photo, "Happy
Tears," in the Best General News Photo category was a finalist
for the 2017 contest's Photo of the Year.

Also winning awards were:

— Carson Gerber, first place in the
Best News Coverage with No Deadline Pressure category, for his story
"Warrants in the dark."

Judges said: "This is a great look
at the dangers [law enforcement] officers face on the job. Serving a
warrant might not sound like a dangerous act, but this shows how
treacherous it can be — especially at night."

— The Tribune staff, second place in
the Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure, for its coverage of
the Aug. 24, 2016, tornadoes.

"It's evident that the news team
fanned out in order to get on-the-ground reports to humanize this
huge story," the judges said.

— Former City Editor Rob Burgess,
second place in the Best Editorial Writer category.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The
Indianapolis Star has won the top reporting award and Thomas J. Russo got top
honors for photography in the annual Indiana Associated Press Media Editors
contest.

Also honored at the
IAPME's annual meeting Friday were Adam Kiefer of Indiana University, who was
given the Will Counts award for student photojournalism, and AP staffer Brian
Slodysko, who was presented the Dale W. Burgess award for service to Indiana media
organizations.

A Star project detailing
the broad impact of the city's more than 6,800 abandoned houses won the Kent
Cooper Award, chosen from among top entries in all the contest's news
categories. The Tribune-Star in Terre Haute placed second for "City on the
Brink," and the Greenfield Daily Reporter took third place for
"Absent from Jobs."

Russo received the John
A. Bushemi award, chosen by a vote of news organizations attending the event
after reviewing top photo winners in all categories.

------

Here is a full list of
winners:

Indiana APME winners
list in Division I:

Best Spot News Coverage:
1, The Indianapolis Star, "The RFRA Fix"; 2, The Times of northwest
Indiana, "E.C. Council Member Arrested, Charged with Murder"; 3, The
Indianapolis Star, "Jared Fogle Search".

Best Spot News Coverage:
1, The Indianapolis Star, "The RFRA Fix"; 2, The Times of northwest
Indiana, "E.C. Council Member Arrested, Charged with Murder"; 3, The
Indianapolis Star, "Jared Fogle Search".

About the Author

Rob Burgess is a nine-time award-winning journalist who has extensive experience leading newsrooms and working in television, podcasts, radio, print and online. Most recently, he was News Editor of NUVO; Managing Editor of the Indiana Lawyer; and City Editor, Opinion Page Editor, and Editorial Board Member at the Kokomo Tribune. He was also a reporter at WFHB, the Times-Mail, The Reporter-Times, Ukiah Daily Journal and Ukiah Valley Television. Email: robertandertonburgess@gmail.com